This is a wonderful thread.
I've actually meant to start a 'thank you' thread for a long time so this is a good opportunity.
Going back in time to when I was a teenager I wanted to make progressive-post-classic-alternative-rock with lots of ambient electronic, reggae/dub, classical, international and folk influences blended in (which is what I'm still trying to do). I was frustrated by being limited to composing using nothing more than an electric guitar and a solid state amp and needing to leave it to other people with less diverse interests to write the bass, drums and vocal parts. I was also frustrated at not being able to write parts at all for synth, transistor and tonewheel organ, electric piano, piano, mandolin, banjo, cello, celeste, harp, marimba, djembe, shakuhachi or koto (to name just a few). I just didn't have that ability to imagine how the end result would sound. I needed to hear how all the parts sounded when played back together. Even the difference in tone between a solid state amp and a tube amp was off putting for me.
I can't say enough how much sample libraries and plugins have opened up my horizons and allowed me to do what I've always wanted to do, nor how grateful I am to each and every developer for what they have created. If I had to single out any particular developers whose work has been most important to me, it would be:
- Orange Tree Samples - for giving me my guitar and electric bass core instruments (yes I play guitar, but I still use these libraries).
- SonicCouture - for giving me my favourite E-Pianos and pitched percussion.
- Also Impact Soundworks, Ilya Efimov, Embertone, Fluffy Audio, Red Room Audio, Sonokinetic, Evolution Series, Strezov and Sonica for giving me a lot of my international, folk and historical instruments.
- Spitfire for giving me my main orchestral sections, washed in the beautiful ambience of AIR Lyndhurst, including a lot of those atmospheric textural orchestral sounds (especially from Tundra) that I absolutely adore.
- Harmonic Subtones for giving me Emotional Violin and Emotional Cello. Can't say enough how much I love these two.
- U-He for giving me my analogue synths
- ... and Quiet Planet/Boom Library for those natural ambiences I like to mix in.
I'd also like to say thank you to Heavyocity, Native Instruments, E-Instruments, Indiginus, Hollow Sun, Hideaway Studios, Rhythmic Robot Audio, Synth Magic, CL Projects, Fracture Sounds, Best Service/Tarilonte, Sampletekk, Wavesfactory, Art Vista, Cinesamples, Cinematic Studio Series, Bolder Sounds, Realitone, In Session Audio, Soundiron, Vir2, Acoustic Samples, Sound Dust, Chocolate Audio... the list goes on.
A massive heartfelt thank you to you all.
(Edited to add reggae/dub, Strezov and five more developers)